It's one thing to be 'put on the defensive', it's another to have your character attacked by a notorious drama farmer.
You could argue that Nenshi should be above responding to a character like Levant, an argument I'd share, but I don't fault him in any significant capacity for getting down to his level and repudiating those sorts of unsubstantiated but character driven remarks.
Ezra is trying to cast a shadow, it's pathetically transparent for what it is. Nenshi to his credit is reacting with some serious humour and relative good nature. "What a loaded question" is one thing, but "Do you still beat your wife" is a specific remark to Ezra, personally. I don't even know if he's married, but it doesn't matter if he is, the comment is likely personal, a reference clearly understood by Levant, and yet still manipulated for dramatic effect.
I think Nenshi is handling this pretty astutely.
If Eric Francis asks you a loaded question, how do you respond? Francis is twice the journalist Levant is. Scratch that, he's 10 times the journalist Levant is.
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